Search - Merle Haggard :: I Wish I Was Santa Claus

Honesty has always been the cornerstone of Merle Haggard's music, and honesty is the quality that drives his new album Haggard Like Never Before, a self-produced, mostly self-penned 11-song effort on the artist's label, Hag Records, distributed by Compendia Music. At the age of 66, with nearly 70 albums under his belt, the veteran singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer/bandleader could be forgiven if he'd chosen to take it easy. Instead, Haggard is in the midst of an impressive career resurgence that began with his acclaimed 2000 release If I Could Only Fly, making some of the most compelling music-and reaching the most diverse audience-of his long and storied career. The punningly titled Haggard Like Never Before is not the work of a legend resting on his laurels, but of a vital, still-hungry artist staking out fresh emotional territory and taking on new musical challenges. It almost goes without saying that Merle Haggard is widely regarded as country music's greatest living recording artist. A rugged individualist who simultaneously embodies and transcends the genre, Haggard is both a seminal superstar and an unrepentant outsider. Over the course of a remarkably prolific four-decade career, he's consistently shown himself to be an uncompromising creative force, far more concerned with pursuing his iconoclastic vision than with meeting the expectations of the music-industry establishment. Along the way, Haggard has scored no less than 39 #1 country hits; won various Grammy, CMA and ACM awards; become the only California-born artist in the Country Music Hall of Fame; been the only country performer ever featured on the cover of the jazz bible Downbeat; as well as the only man to be invited to perform at the White House and invited to serve time in San Quentin Penitentiary. His compositions have been covered by a variety of acts ranging from the Grateful Dead to Elvis Costello, he's been the subject of two multi-artist tribute albums, and he remains an iconic presence whose influence looms large over contemporary music. Songs include: El Nino; I Wish I Was Santa Claus; Christmas in Cabo San Lucas; White Christmas; Jingle Bells; Santa Claus Is Coming To Town; Blue Christmas; I'll Be Home For Christmas; Santa Claus and Popcorn; Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer; Silver Bells; If We Make It Through December.